Day Five: I am a Traveler, Not a Tourist...I think.

When John and I went on our honeymoon in the BVI, our host picked us up at the airport and in the 45 minute treck from the airport to our bungalow, asked us what our plans were for the week. Would we be shopping? Snorkeling? Sailing? Touring the island? Diving in the coral reef?

No.

No. No. No.

We wanted to do nothing. And that we did: we stayed at our private bungalow in our little bay and took in the culture, ate the local food, shopped at the grocery stores, wandered in the neighborhoods and when we people-watched, we made fun of the tourists.

That is still my ideal kind of vacation, but when you've got less than a week to try to see an entire country, it has a tendency to turn into a frenzy to pack as much in as possible. And there is nothing wrong with that. You make do with what you've got and make the most of once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

I think I've already made clear my particular style of travel; it involves lazy walks and pleasant surprises. I'm also obviously all for checking things off 'the list'. And before I came to Scotland, visiting the home of the Loch Ness Monster seemed to be one of those items. I'm afraid the hardest part of traveling sometimes is deciphering what's genuine and what is a blatant tourist trap. And boy, did we stumble into one today.

We started our day out at the train station where we picked up our tickets to Inverness (about 30 minutes from Loch Ness). We grabbed a coffee and did some window shopping before hopping on the train, which took us two hours through the countryside and allowed us a view of the back-ends of most towns along the way.

Inverness itself is charming. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day; we strolled along the river before deciding to split up for an hour. Mom and I were starving and Emily was itching to see some of the sights, so she went off exploring while Mom and I hit up a local grocery store and had a picnic lunch along the gorgeous riverside. I know what you're all thinking: What? No ale? Well, we did have a pint of a lovely local beverage. I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but here it's called milk...from happy Scottish cows. It was grand!

After debating at length whether something we saw in the river was a stick or a baby loch ness monster, Mom and I packed up our leftovers and met up with Emily.

One of the main points of this excursion was to make our way out to Urquhart Castle (in Loch Ness), which is the famous site most commonly associated with the villiage at Loch Ness and, ergo, Nessie herself. We hopped a bus, rode the half hour to the castle parking lot and walked down to the visitor's center where they announced it'd be another seven pounds to get to walk to the castle. At this point, my inner traveler started cringing. It was happening. If I paid that seven pounds for the privilege to walk on castle ruins, I would have officially crossed the line from traveler to tourist. We walked along the upper edge of the lookout and saw people on a tour boat, crowded to the edge, cameras snapping away. I shuddered. These could not be my people. This is not how I travel.

It was almost comical to see how inhospitable they had made the bus waiting zone outside the ticket area, but I plunked myself down on a wooden rail next to some German ladies to evesdrop. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my language skills aren't nearly as bad as I thought and I was even happier to hear that I had found my people. These ladies were joking back and forth about how much their pictures of the castle had cost compared to their friends who paid the seven pounds to walk down. They also thought they would be able to remember the experience better, not having spared themselves the money. They were a bubbly lot and it was nice to hear I wasn't the only stick in the mud who refused to be sucked into a touristy gimmick.

As luck would have it, another bus back to Inverness arrived shortly and we enjoyed the beautiful scenery on the way back. Loch Ness is on the cusp of the Highlands and the country really is gorgeously hilly, with rivers, streams and lochs intersperrsed throughout. It also helped to know that we were on our way back to the city of Inverness.

It is so difficult to adequately describe the differences between the three large cities we've visited so far. Each one has it's individual charm and unique aspects, but somehow Inverness manages to remain it's majestic architecture and an almost small-town charm. The Ness River runs through the city center and beautiful buildings and churches line each side. Picturesque bridges for pedestrians and cars cross the river every few blocks and all the while the pink sandstone casle (turned court house) looks over the city.

Not only is the scenery inviting, but the people seemed more outwardly friendly and helpful. I couldn't keep track of how many times I saw people greet each other on the street and stop to catch up. There were also more mothers with their babies, racked out or sitting up, smiling at strangers, in their prams than I've seen in Aberdeen and Edinburgh put together. All in all, it seemed like a lovely community to live in...and I didn't even step foot into a single pub. How's that for a recommendation?

We were all sad to leave Inverness, but we had to make our way back to Aberdeen for the night. We took the train back home and stopped for some bottled beer on the way home to drown our sorrows. (Also, lest we should be kicked out of the country for lack of beer consumption.) Tomorrow is my last full day in Scotland; Mom and I have plans to go exploring the fish market area and investigate the lighthouses on the far end of the beach. We're also hoping to find some decent fish and chips. I really have enjoyed my time abroad, but I can feel it is time for me to come home to my girls. I miss their sweet faces and want their snuggles. Tomorrow will be another great day of adventure, but also a day closer to seeing my three favortie people in this world.